Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Weapons of Mass Destruction

lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to promote international nuclear, bacteriological and chemical disarmament.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: As a responsible nuclear weapons state, the Government is committed to the long term goal of a world without nuclear weapons. We continue to work with partners across the international community to press for key steps towards multilateral nuclear disarmament, including the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and successful negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut Off Treaty in the Conference on Disarmament. We continue to play a leading role in disarmament verification. The Government is also committed to upholding the global prohibition on possession and use of chemical and biological weapons. This includes work within the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the UN to promote compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention, to encourage states still outside the Convention to join, and to support states parties to complete destruction of stockpiles. The UK plays an active role in supporting the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention and the UN Secretary General's Mechanism, including through supporting training and preparations to counter biological threats.

Ibrahim Abu Thuraya

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel regarding the death of Ibraheem Abu Thuraya.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: While we have not made any representations to the Israeli authorities on this specific issue, we have an ongoing dialogue with the Israeli authorities about the Israel Defence Forces' use of live fire. We remain concerned by the use of force by Israeli security personnel in response to protests and security incidents.

West Bank: Schools

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action will they take to protect the right of Palestinian Bedouin children to education following reports of demolitions of schools in the West Bank,including one at Abu Nawar on 13 December.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Our Embassy in Tel Aviv most recently raised the issue of demolitions and their effects with the Israeli authorities on 29 November. I also raised concerns about the demolitions of schools in Area C when I met the Israeli Ambassador on 29 August. As the Minister for the Middle East set out in a Westminster Hall debate on 6 December, the UK position on demolitions is clear: we consider them to be entirely unacceptable and will continue to raise our concerns.

Hebron: Schools

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel regarding the right to education for Palestinian children in Hebron.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK will continue to urge the Israeli authorities to ease movement and access restrictions across the Occupied Palestinian Territories, not least because of the impact that the restrictions have on children and the continuity of their education.

Israel: Palestinians

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel following the report by the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs highlighting that “many Palestinians throughout the West Bank are at risk of forcible transfer due to a coercive environment generated by Israeli policies and practices".

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have not made representations to the Israeli Government related to this specific report.

Gaza: Travel Restrictions

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 11 December (HL3639), what representations they are making to the Palestinian Authority concerning prospects for opening the Rafah crossing and allowing people with visas to leave.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Officials from our Consulate-General in Jerusalem frequently urge the Palestinian Authority (PA) to take steps to improve conditions in Gaza. They also regularly discuss border crossings with the PA in the context of PA empowerment in Gaza. ​​Officials from our Embassy in Cairo also raised the Rafah crossing with the Egyptian authorities on 19 December, highlighting the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Middle East: Crimes against Humanity

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in bringing proceedings against those alleged to be responsible for genocide and crimes against humanity against Yazidi, Christian and other minorities in Iraq and Syria; and in particular (1) collecting evidence, and (2) establishing judicial procedure.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Investigative and prosecutorial work is under way across the world to bring Daesh and those alleged to be responsible for genocide to justice. We are exploring, with international partners, all legal possibilities for investigating Daesh and holding them to account for their actions. We are working to implement UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR2379) which will establish an Investigative Team to collect, preserve and store evidence of acts that may amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed by Daesh, beginning in Iraq. The UK has committed £1 million to the establishment of this team.The UK maintains support for the UN Commission of Inquiry which is reporting on human rights violations and abuses; and the International Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) which is preparing evidence for future prosecutions. In Iraq, the UK is supporting projects to document and preserve evidence of gender based violence.

Israel: Palestinians

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel concerning the reported arrest and abuse of Palestinian minors in relation to unidentified charges.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK has strong concerns about continued reports of mistreatment of Palestinian minors in Israeli military detention, notably the use of painful restraints and insufficient notification of legal rights. Our Ambassador to Israel raised concerns about this issue with Minister of Justice Shaked on 7 December. The Minister for the Middle East (Alistair Burt) also raised our concerns with the Israeli authorities during his visit to Israel in August 2017. We continue to regularly raise this issue with the Israeli authorities, and to press them to secure improvements to the practices surrounding the military detention of minors.

North Korea: Cybercrime

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofthe claim of Tom Bossert, United States homeland security advisor, that the WannaCry cyber attack on the NHS was the "direct responsibility" of North Korea.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) assesses that it is highly likely that North Korean actors known as the Lazarus Group were behind the WannaCry ransomware campaign in May 2017. The NCSC was instrumental in the US’s attribution. The investigation is ongoing and the National Crime Agency and NCSC are working with international law enforcement and industry partners to pursue the individuals responsible and protect victims.

Turkey: Human Rights

the earl of sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Turkey, bilaterally or through the EU, regarding writers, media workers, parliamentarians and others currently facing charges of terrorism or crimes against the state.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We regularly raise a range of human rights issues with Turkey at the highest level, including the rights and treatment of detainees. The Prime Minister did so with her Turkish counterpart most recently on 27 November. We have urged Turkey to consider lifting the current State of Emergency, and to ensure that all measures taken under it are proportionate, justified and in line with Turkey’s democratic principles and its international human rights obligations.

Sudan: Human Rights

baroness suttie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that UK companies comply with the UN Guiding Principles on business and human rights (the Ruggie Principles) in dealings with Sudan.

baroness suttie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to help to improve Sudan's performance against the UN Guiding Principles on business and human rights (the Ruggie Principles) and corruption indicators, in particular by supporting the development of a national action plan on business and human rights that entails the full and free consultation of the country's trades unions and civil society organisations.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Sudan remains a Foreign and Commonwealth Office Human Rights Priority Country and improving human rights is a key priority in our engagement with the Government of Sudan. The Sudanese Government is ultimately responsible for implementing the commitments contained in the UN Guiding Principles (UNGPs) on business and human rights. However, we stand ready to support Sudan in implementing their national action plan. We are also looking at further possible steps to improve Sudanese adherence to the UNGP and to ensure UK companies operating in Sudan fulfil their responsibilities.

Attorney General

Royal Albert Hall

lord hodgson of astley abbotts: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Attorney General is expected to rule on the Albert Hall case referred to him by the Charity Commission in September.

lord keen of elie: The Attorney General has received a request from the Charity Commission to grant his consent to a reference to the Charity Commission on various points of law. The Attorney General requested further information from the Charity Commission and the Royal Albert Hall Corporation. He has now received that further information and expects to make a decision early this year.

Department for International Development

Palestinians: Refugees

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they have about Palestinian refugees who are in Iraq; whether they can estimate the number of Palestinians still in Syria; and whether all such refugees are receiving UK and international relief and development funds.

lord bates: Iraq is outside of the areas of operation of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) so assistance and protection to Palestinian refugees who are in Iraq is the responsibility of the Government of Iraq supported by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Official up to date figures on the number of Palestinian refugees in Iraq do not exist. As at 31 August 2017, there were some 40,200 non-Syrian refugees and asylum-seekers registered with UNHCR in Iraq, some of which will be Palestinian. DFID and the wider international community assist and protect the most vulnerable in Iraq and many of ours and other donor’s programmes may be assisting Palestinian refugees. For example, since 2014 DFID has provided £34 million to UNHCR in Iraq to provide cash assistance for over 110,000 vulnerable displaced persons in Iraq. Additionally, the UK is providing UNHCR with £35 million per year in core funding, from 2017/18- 2020/21.UNRWA estimates that around 438,000 Palestinian refugees remain in Syria as of August 2017. UNRWA is the only organisation mandated to provide protection and assistance for Palestinian Refugees in Syria (PRS) and receives significant international voluntary contributions for their work across the region, mostly from government donors. DFID will provide £36 million from 2017 – 2020 to UNRWA’s Syria Emergency Appeal to support 418,000 PRS with cash and in-kind food assistance, including 254,000 internally displaced PRS with non-food items such as blankets, mattresses and hygiene kits, alongside health, livelihood support, education and protection assistance each year.

Department for Education

Teachers: Migrant Workers

lord browne of belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many teachers from overseas have been awarded qualified teacher status in the UK in each of the last three years, broken down by country.

lord agnew of oulton: The Department for Education produces statistics for England only. The responsibility for education statistics in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales lies with each devolved administration.The attached tables provide the number of qualified teachers from overseas who have been awarded qualified teacher status (QTS) in England in each of the last three years available (financial year 2014/15 to financial year 2016/17). These tables are taken from published statistics in the initial teacher training (ITT) census, available at the department’s ITT Statistics webpage.Table 8, attached, shows the number of QTS awards made in England to qualified teachers from the European Economic Area (EEA) under EU Directive 2005/36/EC.Table 8a, attached, shows the number of QTS awards made in England to qualified teachers from overseas (excluding the EEA).



Table 8a
(Excel SpreadSheet, 14.04 KB)




Table 8
(Excel SpreadSheet, 26.19 KB)

Students: Disability

lord addington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to whichthere is consistency between the school system and the apprenticeship awarding bodies, in terms of support given to disabled students.

lord agnew of oulton: Apprenticeships provide employment as well as additional training for apprentices. The apprenticeship system draws on many of the same principles as the wider education sector in supporting those with disabilities to help them achieve their full potential. This includes recognising Education, Health and Care Plans in our funding and in the adjustment for English and maths requirements. We also provide extra payments to training providers where an apprentice requires further learning support. Access to Work funding is also available from the Department for Work and Pensions to support adjustments apprentices may need in the workplace. Apprentice employers and training providers are obliged under equalities law to make reasonable adjustments for apprentices with disabilities. With regards to the assessment of apprentices, the Education and Skills Funding Agency requires apprenticeship End-Point Assessment Organisations to ensure they have in place arrangements to ensure fair access through their policy of reasonable adjustments.

Holiday Play Schemes

the lord bishop of durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to consider the funding and provision of holiday programmes that would provide free meals and activities for children who would otherwise not have access to such arrangements.

lord agnew of oulton: The government is currently considering the School Holidays (Meals and Activities) Bill, which addresses this issue, and will be responding in due course.

Ministry of Justice

Open Prisons

lord browne of belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners convicted of murder were held in an open prison in each of the last five years.

lord keen of elie: This information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Prisons: Ministers of Religion

lord murphy of torfaen: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ensure that overcrowding does not restrict prisoners' access to chaplaincy services; and whether they intend to include such access in future performance measures.

lord keen of elie: The Prison Safety and Reform White paper set out a range of performance measures so that the performance of prisons is judged on the results they deliver rather than just compliance with processes. Access to Chaplaincy services is not currently included in these measures. Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service seek to ensure that prisoners have access to chaplaincy services in accordance with PSI 5/2016 (Faith and Pastoral Care for Prisoners). Overcrowding in and of itself would not restrict access to chaplaincy services.

Prisons: Ministers of Religion

lord murphy of torfaen: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to guarantee the continued provision of quality assured chaplaincy services to every prison in England and Wales by continuing the guidelines Faith and Pastoral Care for Prisoners (PSI 05/2016)and including those guidelines in any future prison policy frameworks.

lord keen of elie: PSI 05/2016 Faith and Pastoral Care of Prisoners is not in the first tranche of PSIs to be deregulated. When it is replaced by a Policy Framework I am confident that Governors will have the guidance they need to ensure the delivery of chaplaincy services that meet the pastoral and faith needs of prisoners. Discussions are already under way to see how the present Assurance and Compliance quality assurance process may be developed to support delivery of chaplaincy services in the future.

Prisoners: Self-harm and Suicide

lord murphy of torfaen: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to implement a systematic and quality assured communications gateway to enable prison staff to work with families to reduce self-harm and suicide.

lord keen of elie: Families can play a significant role in supporting offenders; positive family relationships have been identified as a protective factor in desistance from crime. For this reason, we are promoting strong family ties (including significant others) as an important plank of our Prison Reform Programme, alongside education and employment.The Government published a review by Lord Farmer on 10 August, which made several recommendations to strengthen family or significant other ties to help offenders turn their lives around and protect public safety. We are taking the recommendations forward, including (in October 2017) giving Governors the budget and flexibility to spend their resources appropriately to help prisoners keep important family ties.One of Lord Farmer’s recommendations related to the introduction of an “auditable and responsive ‘gateway’ communication system for families and significant others”. We are fully committed to ensuring that prisoners can communicate with their loved ones. We recognise that there is no single method of communication that will be suitable for all users. We will shortly be issuing guidance to prisons on publicising how loved ones can share information about prisoners who may be at risk of self-harm or suicide. In addition, we will issue guidance on facilitating early contact with prisoners’ families or their significant others when they arrive at the prison, so that we can involve them in their support and encourage ongoing contact; and on involving families in the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork process for supporting those at risk.

Prisoners: Families

lord murphy of torfaen: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to introduce performance measures on family contact covering every stage of a prisoner's sentence.

lord keen of elie: Families can play a significant role in supporting an offender; positive family relationships have been identified as helping to reduce reoffending. For this reason, we are promoting strong family or significant other ties as part of prison reform, alongside education and employment. We believe that a prisoner’s family or significant other is the most effective resettlement agency we have – as the prison inspectorate, the probation service and Ofsted all agree.Lord Farmer’s review (August 2017) contains several recommendations to strengthen family or significant other ties to help offenders turn their lives around.We are taking forward his recommendations. In October of this year we devolved the budget for family interventions to governors, providing them with the flexibility to spend their resources appropriately to help prisoners keep important family or significant other ties.The Prison Safety and Reform White Paper committed to implementing a performance measure on family relationships for governors, and this will build upon the observations contained within Lord Farmer’s comprehensive report. Work is currently underway to define the content of this measure.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Conflict

lord laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have a definition of a war; and if so, what it is.

earl howe: UK Defence Doctrine (Joint Doctrine Publication 0-01, 5th Edition, November 2014) defines war as 'a state of armed conflict between different countries, or different groups within a country'.

Cabinet Office

Weapons of Mass Destruction

lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements they have in place to monitor nuclear, biological and chemical weapons risks, and to advance the reduction of such risks.

viscount younger of leckie: The Government assesses the most significant risks facing the UK over the next five years, including nuclear, biological and chemical weapons risks, through the National Risk Assessment (NRA) and the National Security Risk Assessment (NSRA).In order to assess these risks, Government works with the intelligence community to gather information about the intent and capability of potential adversaries, the types of materials of concern and information about potential targets. The risk assessment processes provide Government department and agencies with the information required for them to take action to address these risks. The 2017 National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies, the public version of the NRA, is attached to this answer and a copy has also been placed in the House of Lords Library.A summary of the NSRA was published in the 2015 National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review, available online here, which helped to guide the government’s wider national security efforts. The sections on proliferation risk were also included in the National Counter-Proliferation strategy which can be found here.The Government’s risk assessment is complemented by wider work under the UK’s Counter-Terrorism Strategy (CONTEST). CONTEST provides a Cross-Government approach, led by the Home Office, aimed at reducing the risk to the UK and its citizens and interests overseas from terrorism, so that people can go about their lives freely and with confidence.The use of nuclear, biological and chemical materials in an attack by terrorists remains significantly less likely than an attack with conventional weapons. Government prioritises efforts to stop terrorists gaining access to the technical expertise and specialist materials they would need, and to reduce the vulnerability of people and places to such attacks. Government also ensures the police and other emergency services have the necessary nationwide response capabilities to mitigate the impact of any such attacks.



National counter proliferation strategy 2020 
(PDF Document, 235.73 KB)




2015 Strategic defence and security review 
(PDF Document, 1.34 MB)




UK national risk register 2017 
(PDF Document, 4.69 MB)